In reading through Deuteronomy recently, I ran across a statement I have thought about many times: “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish or defect, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 17:1) Whenever I read this verse and many others which echo the same theme, I’m reminded that God is not impressed when I offer him “whatever.”
Unfortunately, it’s too easy for all of us to feel as though “whatever” we offer to God is “good enough.” Indeed, it’s better than nothing, right? As long as we give Him an hour or so at church every so often, isn’t that good enough? Or how about when we throw a buck in the plate? One Second Saturday every three years seems like more than enough, don’t you think?
Wrong! What God is looking for is our very best. He’s not looking for a tip off the top, He’s looking for us to dig into the deepest resources of our lives and give Him our very best. When we don’t, we might as well be offering Him “pink slime.” Surely you’ve read about that recently. Numerous articles have pointed out that up to 70% of the hamburger for sale in our supermarkets and fast-food joints is actually “beef material” that has been mixed with ammonia in order to kill the bacteria. What we’re eating, then, is not pristine beef; it’s rather “pink slime.” Yuck! Who wants that? Just for fun, the next time you grab a burger at your favorite spot, why not just tell them you’ll have the “pink slime burger” and see their response.
The last thing we want to do is offer the Lord “pink slime,” the leftovers of our lives, be that our time, talent, or treasure. It’s when we give Him our very best that He brings forth the richness of His blessings in our lives!